Are we Ferguson?

By John Inazu

updated 7:03 AM EDT, Fri August 22, 2014

Protesters march in Ferguson, Missouri, on Thursday, August 21. The St. Louis suburb has been in turmoil since a white police officer, Darren Wilson, fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, on August 9. Some protesters and law enforcement officers have clashed in the streets, leading to injuries and arrests.

A crowd gathers in Ferguson on August 21. With the situation appearing to calm, Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard to begin withdrawing from the city.

Police escort a Wilson supporter to a police vehicle, away from crowds protesting Brown's death on Wednesday, August 20. Police have said Brown and Wilson struggled over the officer's gun; some witnesses said Brown had his hands in the air when he was shot.

Lightning streaks over protesters on August 20.

Demonstrators protest on August 20.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder meets with Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol at a Ferguson restaurant on August 20. Holder came to Missouri to talk to community leaders and review the federal civil rights investigation into Brown's shooting.

Protesters march through the streets of Ferguson on August 20.

Police point out a demonstrator who has his arms raised before moving in to arrest him Tuesday, August 19.

People watch from inside a restaurant as protesters rally August 19.

Police arrest a demonstrator on August 19.

Police charge into the media work area with weapons drawn as they try to control demonstrators on August 19.

A protester speaks to a police officer on August 19.

People on August 19 stand near a memorial where Brown was shot and killed.

Protesters march on August 19.

Police watch as protesters march August 19.

A demonstrator is arrested on August 19.

Police try to control protesters on Monday, August 18.

Police lead a man away during a protest August 18.

A demonstrator shouts during a protest on West Florissant Avenue, one of Ferguson's main streets, on August 18.

Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol pulls his men back from aggressive protesters on August 18.

Police arrest a demonstrator August 18 after peaceful protests gave way to angry confrontations with authorities.

Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18.

A woman helps a man affected by tear gas August 18. The situation overnight deteriorated after a handful of protesters threw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at police. Officers responded by firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters.

Officers stand with weapons drawn during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18.

Musician Nelly, center, joins demonstrators in Ferguson on August 18.

Demonstrators receive red roses as they protest August 18.

Demonstrators march on August 18.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson shakes hands with a police officer as he visits Ferguson's demonstration area on August 18.

A protester picks up a tear gas canister on Sunday, August 17.

Police wait to advance after using tear gas to disperse protesters August 17.

Water gets poured into a woman's eyes after a tear gas attack by police on August 17.

A man runs through clouds of tear gas on August 17.

Protesters react as police fire tear gas at them August 17.

Police advance through a cloud of tear gas on August 17. Most of the crowd had dispersed after a curfew went into effect at midnight, St. Louis County authorities said.

People take cover from tear gas inside a McDonald's on August 17.

A large group of police officers advance toward protesters on August 17.

A man fights the effects of tear gas in Ferguson on August 17.

Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, the parents of Michael Brown, attend a rally at Greater Grace Church in Ferguson on August 17.

The Rev. Al Sharpton hugs McSpadden during the rally.

Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol speaks at the rally. He had been appointed by the governor to take control of security operations.

Demonstrators defy a curfew early on August 17.

Police fire tear gas at demonstrators after curfew on August 17.

A law enforcement officer aims his rifle August 17 after tear gas was fired to disperse a crowd.

People scramble as police fire tear gas on August 17.

Law enforcement officers check a building on August 17.

People attend a protest after the midnight curfew on August 17.

A law enforcement officer watches as tear gas is fired to disperse a crowd on August 17.

Police stand guard before the midnight curfew on Saturday, August 16.

People loot the Ferguson Market and Liquor store on August 16. Several businesses were looted as police held their positions nearby.

Missouri State Highway Patrol officers listen to taunts from demonstrators during a protest on Friday, August 15.

Demonstrators protest with their hands up on August 15. The "hands up" gesture has become a symbol in protests as Brown, according to eyewitnesses, was trying to surrender when he was shot multiple times.

Police confront demonstrators on August 15.

A demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back at police on August 15.

Police confront demonstrators on August 15.

Thousands of demonstrators march down a Ferguson street with members of the St. Louis County Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Thursday, August 14.

Demonstrators hold signs as traffic moves slowly past them on August 14.

State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson smiles at demonstrators on August 14. Johnson was appointed to lead security as state troopers took over after days of clashes between protesters and local police.

The Rev. Traci Blackmon uses a megaphone to talk to a large group of demonstrators on August 14.

A man picks up a flaming bottle and prepares to throw it as a line of police advance in the distance on Wednesday, August 13.

Police stand in clouds of smoke as they clash with protesters on August 13.

An Al-Jazeera television crew runs for cover as police fire tear gas at its position on August 13. Video and images on social media showed police later breaking down the journalists' gear.

A small group of protesters block traffic in the street before police arrived on August 13.

A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on August 13.

Police detain a man on Tuesday, August 12.

People congregate at the Greater St. Marks Family Church in St. Louis along with the family of Michael Brown and the Rev. Al Sharpton on August 12.

Michael Brown Sr. stands alongside Sharpton, right, during a news conference in St. Louis on August 12.

Demonstrators protest August 12 in Ferguson.

A makeshift memorial sits in the middle of the street where Michael Brown was shot and killed.

A woman tries to calm an emotional protester during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Ferguson Police Department on August 11.

Phaedra Parks, left, comforts Desuirea Harris, the grandmother of Michael Brown, during a news conference in Jennings, Missouri, on August 11.

Police officers arrest a man who refused to leave when police cleared streets in Ferguson on August 11.

A burned-out QuikTrip gas station smolders on August 11 after protesters looted and burned the Ferguson building the night before.

Police officers and protesters confront each other on Saturday, August 9, the same day Michael Brown was shot and killed.

HIDE CAPTION

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

Emotions run high in Ferguson, Missouri

<<

<

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

>

>>

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

John Inazu: Slogans like "We are all Columbine" aren't true, nor is "We are Ferguson"

Inazu: Not all of us live in those circumstances, but we all made Ferguson come into being

He says we reinforce racial and class divisions that affect neighborhoods, schools

Inazu: We allow a system that disproportionately harms black men and neglects inequality

Editor's note: John D. Inazu is an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches courses in criminal law, religion and the First Amendment. He is the author of "Liberty's Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.

(CNN) -- We all know the slogans meant to express empathy and solidarity: "We are Columbine." "We are all New Yorkers." "I am Trayvon Martin." The "We are Ferguson" messages have already begun, and we will likely see more.

The well-intended connections seldom work. Most of us are not Columbine because most of us did not lose children in our community in a high school mass shooting. We are not all New Yorkers because only some of us experienced the aftermath of 9/11 at Ground Zero. I am not Trayvon Martin because I am not a black male.

I teach at Washington University, where most of my colleagues and students are white. I shop at mostly white places that feel safe and convenient. Most of the contentious issues in my mostly white neighborhood are about bike paths and trees. Many of you live in my world.

It would be easy for those in my world to say we are not Ferguson. But highlighting our differences misses something important: We are part of the reason for the circumstances that it confronts today. We may not be Ferguson, but we helped make Ferguson.

That we made Ferguson is reflected in politics and geography. Ferguson is one of dozens of municipalities nestled around St. Louis. Like many large urban areas in this country, each St. Louis municipality is separately incorporated with its own police force, schools and tax base.

Startling video from shooting scene

Organizer: Ferguson cops harass safe haven

Guests' fiery debate erupts over race

Brown family lawyer on Holder meeting

I pass through three of them to get to my local grocery store -- and Ferguson's burned down QuikTrip is just seven miles from my workplace and house. In the best cases, these divisions create the possibility for good local government and communities where friendship and civic involvement can flourish.

In the worst cases, they provide opportunities for self-interest and exploitation. St. Louis has some of the best; it also has some of the worst. The worst cases are often tied to the issues of race and class.

We made Ferguson because our choices reinforce racial and class divisions that manifest not only in cultures and attitudes, but also in schools, neighborhoods, churches and businesses.

Many of us do not live in large urban areas. But we, too, made Ferguson because we're complicit in a system of criminal justice that disproportionately harms black men, and therefore, the black community. We made Ferguson because we do not address the vast and growing injustices for America's poor -- black and white.

We made Ferguson because too many of us would rather tweet than get involved in the messiness of local politics and community building. The hard work of solving problems doesn't happen from hashtag campaigns or writing blog posts and articles -- like this one.

We made Ferguson because we have more tolerance for riots after sporting events than for citizens protesting injustice. We stand by and watch the government's most egregious violations of our First Amendment rights when the protests are about the things that matter most. And that's true not only of the initial police response to Ferguson, but also of the restrictions placed on many of the Occupy demonstrations, on some labor protests and in many other instances of political and religious dissent in recent years.

Ferguson does not have any easy solutions. But we need to begin by talking about the problems in a more honest and self-reflective way. We need to start having the tough conversations that many of us too often avoid out of fear, ignorance or inconvenience.

Some of us have been engaged in these conversations for a long time. But many of us, especially many people whose lives and neighborhoods and workplaces look a lot like mine, have not yet begun. Whether we've already been talking or are just about to start, we need to risk awkwardness and misunderstanding as we stumble toward dialogue. And we need to extend grace to one another as we take those risks.

But we can't just talk. We need to be willing to share time and experiences that lead to friendships, not just conversation partners.

We might look to Ferguson to see what else must come next: learning about the issues, better supporting local businesses and nonprofits, expanding voter registration and voter education, monitoring local courtrooms and bureaucrats and holding accountable those officials who have used their power for harm rather than for good.

We can do these things after the cameras go away and where the cameras have never been.

We may not all put bodies on the line for the largely peaceful demonstrations. But we can put them on the line in the months and years to come -- by choosing to engage in the slow and difficult work of restoring communities.

We owe at least that much to Ferguson and to all the Fergusons across our country.